<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Follow Me to the Depths of the Ocean by CeriseHood5050</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26272813">Follow Me to the Depths of the Ocean</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeriseHood5050/pseuds/CeriseHood5050'>CeriseHood5050</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ruane [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sarah Jane Adventures, Titanic (1997)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alien Character(s), British Female Character, Crossover, F/F, LGBTQ Female Character, RMS Titanic, Ruane, Sinking Ship</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 05:48:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,217</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26272813</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeriseHood5050/pseuds/CeriseHood5050</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sarah Jane and her parents board Titanic for the journey of a lifetime. They are travelling as first-class passengers on the most luxurious ocean liner yet. But when Sarah Jane feels trapped by her social standing, she runs to the one place where she knows she can end everything.</p><p>What she didn't expect was for a woman dressed in red to give new meaning to her life, and give Sarah Jane the opportunity to escape from her dreary life.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sarah Jane Smith/Ruby White</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Ruane [4]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1840342</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. The Ship of Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b> 10</b><b>th </b> <b>  April 1912 </b> </p><p>Sarah Jane stares up at the beautiful, majestic ship. The black hull towers above the buildings and each of the orange and black funnels look as tall as ten people, Sarah Jane would predict. She flattens her travelling outfit, a white blouse with a blue jacket and skirt. She wants to take her massive hat off but refrains from doing so. Eddie and Barbara step out of the car behind her. ‘Mum, Dad, I don’t see what the fuss is about. It does not look bigger than the Mauretania.’  <br/>‘You can be blasé about some things, Sarah Jane, but not about Titanic,’ Eddie smiles at his teenage daughter. ‘Titanic is over a hundred feet longer than Mauretania, and her luxury surpasses every other ship.’ He turns to his wife and kisses her forehead. ‘It seems like our daughter is too difficult to impress.’ <br/>‘Sir, sir,’ Sarah Jane notices a porter trying to gain the attention of her father and turns back to the ship. Barbara moves away from her husband and stands beside her daughter.  <br/>‘Our rooms will be breath-taking,’ Barbara assures her daughter. ‘It is the ship of dreams.’ The Ship of Dreams is what everyone else calls Titanic. Sarah Jane doesn’t know how to consider the Titanic, so she remains quiet. The horn blows as Eddie moves away from the porter.  <br/>‘Ladies, we better hurry,’ he says, and they start walking through the stream of passengers waving goodbye to everyone on Titanic. When they walk up the gangplank, Sarah Jane begins to think about how her journey on the Titanic could be her last. Eddie accompanies his wife, and Sarah Jane watches as he talks to one of the crew, explaining who they are, and he tells them what rooms they are staying in.  </p><p>Sarah Jane stares at the red-and-gold living room in distaste. It seems so dull, so lifeless. ‘Sarah Jane, would you want some of your paintings out?’ Her father asks.  <br/>‘Yes,’ Sarah Jane nods. ‘We need more colour in here.’ They find the paintings Sarah Jane brought with her, and they are full of colour and life. Eddie begins setting up some of the pictures around the suit as Barbara walks into the room. She smiles at the two of them, talking about paintings.  <br/>‘I’ll get you an artist set when we get to America,’ Eddie smiles. ‘I cannot wait to see what you will achieve.’  <br/>‘Thank you, Dad.’  </p><p>The ship’s horn blows, and Titanic is on its way to America. The trio cannot feel the boat moving; the only indicator of the vessel’s movement is the dull thud of the engines.  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. The Journey to America</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Sarah Jane feels like the world is closing in; someone saves her from going overboard.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><b> 11</b><b>th </b> <b>  April 1912 </b> </p><p>Sarah Jane, Eddie and Barbara are sitting in Café Parisien with some of the most well-known passengers on the ship. Bruce Ismay, the man who thought of the Titanic, sits at the head of the table and directs the conversation. Sarah Jane stares ahead, hoping not to attract any attention. However, as an unattractive and unmarried first-class woman, people would want her attention. ‘She is the largest moving man-made object in all history,’ Ismay says with a proud nod of his head. ‘Our master shipbuilder, Mr Andrews here, designed her from the keel plates up.’ Ismay gestures to a man on his left, Mr Andrews. He has brown hair with streaks of grey, sparkling brown eyes and a warm smile.  <br/>‘I only designed her,’ Mr Andrews says, refusing to take credit for his creation. ‘The idea was Mr Ismay’s. He envisioned a ship, so grand in scale, and no one can challenge its luxury.’ Sarah Jane spots Mr Andrews put a black notebook on the table.  <br/>‘What is that you have, Mr Andrews?’ She asks without stopping herself.  <br/>‘I carry a notebook around with me on the first voyage of every ship,’ he explains. ‘I want to make sure there are no imperfections before Titanic continues her career as a steam liner.’ A waiter comes round to us, and Dad gives him our orders.  <br/>‘Hey, who thought of the name Titanic?’ A woman, Molly Brown, asks. She has brown hair and sparkling blue eyes. Today, she hides her hair under a black hat and painted her lips red. She glances at Mr Ismay. ‘Was it you, Bruce?’  <br/>‘Yes. I wanted to convey sheer size, stability, luxury, and above all, strength.’ The conversation is male-dominated, and Sarah Jane wants to put in her opinion.  <br/>‘J. P. Morgan’s preoccupation with size will dominate the world,’ Sarah Jane says, choosing her words carefully. ‘If we do not watch out, we could have ocean liners far superior to ones currently sailing, and the Titanic is perfect as it is. We do not want to overdo anything.’ Usually, Eddie and Barbara would not mind Sarah Jane speaking what she felt, but the family are in the presence of two of the most critical people on the ship. If it were only Molly Brown there, they wouldn’t mind. But Mr Andrews and Mr Ismay heard her comment.  <br/>‘What is up with you, Sarah Jane?’ Barbara asks.  <br/>‘Please excuse me, Mum.’ Sarah Jane stands and walks toward the double doors at the entrance, which two waiters open, allowing her to exit onto the deck.  </p><p>Sarah Jane walks onto the deck that separates the first class from the third class. The third class have more comfortable lives than the first class, Sarah Jane considers. They still have rules, but they seem to have more freedom. They do not have to watch what they say most of the time.  </p><p>Then one young woman on the third-class deck catches her attention. Sarah Jane glances at her to get a better look. There is quite a distance between the two of them, but Sarah Jane can tell that the woman is wearing a red blouse and black trousers- Sarah Jane tries to compose her face to not show how startled she is by the woman’s fashion choices. The woman has shoulder-length brown hair, and that is everything Sarah Jane can make out. She stares out to sea again but keeps glancing back at the woman.  </p><p>She doesn’t see Eddie come up behind her and take her elbow. ‘Do you mind?’ Sarah Jane asks, turning to her father.  <br/>‘You need to come back inside,’ Eddie says. ‘Your mother and I are worried about you.’  <br/>‘Can I have a couple of minutes, please?’  <br/>‘A couple of minutes,’ Eddie nods, ‘then please, come inside.’ Sarah Jane nods and watches her father walk back inside before turning her attention back to the stern of the ship. She stays like that for a couple of minutes, closing her eyes to feel the cool sea breeze on her eyelids before she turns and walks back into the café.  </p><p>At dinner, Sarah Jane and her family, once again, sat with people critical within the first class. Sarah Jane does not want to risk offending everyone, so she stays quiet. Sarah Jane wants to yell, scream that she should not live her life like that. Sarah Jane should not have to watch everything she says for fear of upsetting the social balance. Sarah Jane can’t pull her hair out of the bun that Barbara forced her to wear, for it is improper for a lady to have her hair down. She tries to tune into the conversations, but it seems like she heard all of them before.  </p><p>She cannot live like this anymore. Before dinner finishes, Sarah Jane excuses herself from the elegantly decorated table and leaves the dining saloon. She returns to her room and pulls her gloves off. Her breathing picks up as she tries to work out how to take off her dress and corset, but her hands keep scratching the jewels on her dress. She pulls her hair out of its bun, allowing it to flow freely down to her shoulders. She pulls the pins out of her hair, letting her fringe to rest on her forehead. Sarah Jane grabs a hand-held mirror and throws it across the room. The mirror lands on her sofa. She pulls the jewellery away from her neck and begins throwing other objects off her vanity before she runs out of items to throw. She stares at the mirror in front of her. All she can see is a girl struggling to break free.  </p><p>There is only one option left.  </p><p>Sarah Jane runs out of the room and through the Promenade Deck. Along the way, she bumps into several passengers, who cry out in shock and anger. Sarah jane starts sobbing when she reaches the poop deck and unlocks the gate leading to the stern. She does not stop there but keeps running until she comes to the railing at the ship's end. She stares at the black ocean ahead of her. It looks so calm, peaceful almost. Sarah Jane reaches out and grabs the cool iron railing. She begins climbing up and grabs the flagpole to help steady herself as she climbs over the railing. She moves the skirt of her dress, so she doesn’t slip and fall when she is not ready. She looks up at the deck to make sure no one notices her. No one is on the deck; no one is there to see her die. She turns around, so she faces the sea and keeps her hands on the railing. Sarah Jane slowly leans out over the water as she thinks about what she is about to do.  </p><p>‘Don’t do it!’ An unfamiliar female voice says, breaking Sarah Jane from her thoughts. Sarah Jane turns to yell at the woman who decided to interrupt her, to find the same woman from earlier.  <br/>‘Please, stay back! Don’t come any closer.’  <br/>‘Come on, Miss, give me your hand. I’ll pull you over.’  <br/>‘No! Stay where you are. I mean it. I’ll let go.’ Sarah Jane begins wondering whether to do it to spite the woman. She turns back to the sea as the woman moves closer.  <br/>‘No, you won’t.’ The woman corrects her.  <br/>‘What do you mean “no, I won’t”? You don't know me, so do not presume what I will or will not do!’  <br/>‘You would’ve done it already.’  <br/>‘You're distracting; go away.’  <br/>‘I can’t, and I won’t. I’m involved now. If you jump, I’ll jump in there after you.’ The woman takes off her black jacket, revealing a red blouse underneath. Sarah Jane turns back to her.  <br/>‘Do not be absurd. You'll die.’ The woman begins untying her shoes.  <br/>‘I’m a fantastic swimmer.’  <br/>‘The fall will kill you.’  <br/>‘It will hurt, I’m not saying it wouldn’t, but I’m more concerned about how cold that water is.’ The woman takes off her shoes.  <br/>‘How cold?’  <br/>‘Freezing, maybe a couple of degrees over.’ Sarah Jane knows that the woman is trying to get her not to jump. ‘I feel through some thin ice before. Water that cold, like right down there, it’s like knives stabbing you all over your body; you can’t breathe, you can’t think- at least not about anything but the pain, which is why I’m not looking forward about jumping in there after you. But like I said, I’m involved now. I’m hoping you’ll let me off the hook here and climb back over.’ </p><p>Sarah Jane does not want an innocent woman to die because of her. She begins to turn around slowly, and the woman guides her. Now they are closer, Sarah Jane realises that the woman has twinkling brown eyes. ‘Whew!’ The woman breathes and gives Sarah Jane a brief smile. ‘I’m Ruby White.’  <br/>‘Sarah Jane Smith.’  <br/>‘Come on, let’s get you back over.’ Sarah Jane places one foot up on the railing, but her dress caught underneath her shoe. She slips, and the only thing stopping her from plummeting into the ocean is Ruby’s inhuman strength around her wrist. Sarah Jane screams in terror. ‘I’ve got you! Come on!’ Sarah Jane tries to use her free hand to get a grip on the railing but slips back down again. She screams even louder.  <br/>‘Help! Please! HELP! Please, help me!’  <br/>‘Listen to me. I’ve got you; I won’t let go. Now pull yourself up; come on!’ Sarah Jane begins to pull herself up as the two women hear the rush of footsteps heading in their direction. The crewmen arrive in time to see Ruby pull Sarah Jane away from the railing and the two of them crash onto the deck.  </p><p>One of the crewmen calls for Sarah Jane’s family, who arrive immediately. Barbara wraps her daughter up in a blanket while Eddie asks what happened. ‘We saw her pull your daughter away from the railings. We have not asked what happened yet.’ Eddie sighs and takes Ruby to one side.  <br/>‘What’s your name?’  <br/>‘Ruby White, sir.’  <br/>‘What happened?’ Ruby glances over at Sarah Jane, who silently shakes her head.  <br/>‘Sarah Jane was leaning over to see the propellers and slipped. I was there and rushed to help her.’  <br/>‘Thank you for saving my daughter.’ He turns back to his daughter and wife. ‘Barbara, why don’t you take Sarah Jane inside?’ Barbara nods and escorts her daughter back inside the warm ship.  </p><p>When Sarah Jane is in her nightdress, Eddie visits her. ‘We know that you feel trapped, Sarah Jane. I am sorry that we cannot do more.’  <br/>‘It is not you two,’ Sarah Jane says. She is sitting at her vanity, her possessions lying across the wooden table. ‘It's my whole world and everyone else in it. They want me to be someone I am not; I cannot do anything about it.’ In the reflection of her mirror, she sees her parents glance at each other.  <br/>‘Yes, you can.’ Barbara says. Sarah Jane turns to her parents.  <br/>‘I invited for Ruby to join us for dinner tomorrow evening,’ Eddie says. ‘As a thank you for saving your life.’  <br/>‘Thank you, Dad.’  <br/>‘I’ve not finished yet.’ Eddie pulls one of the chairs from another table over to Sarah Jane and sits beside her. Barbara does the same. ‘I know society will frown upon us if this gets out, but we want you to be happy.’  <br/>‘What are you talking about?’  <br/>‘If you want to spend more time with Ruby, we will not stop you. She is a good woman; we know she will treat you with respect.’ Sarah Jane smiles.  <br/>‘Thank you, Mum, thank you, Dad.’  </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. The Taste of Freedom</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ruby joins the Smith family in the first-class dining saloon.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>12<sup>th</sup> April 1912</strong>
</p><p>That morning, Sarah Jane, Eddie, and Barbara go for a walk on the deck. Sarah Jane can feel the sunlight on her face; she thinks she had not felt it in years. They walk closer to the gate leading to the third-class deck. ‘I can go alone,’ Sarah Jane insists.<br/>‘We trust you,’ Eddie insists. ‘It is some of the people down there we do not trust.’<br/>‘We will come down with you,’ Barbara agrees.<br/>‘All right,’ Sarah Jane nods. ‘But please do not start following me around when we get on deck. Ruby and I will always remain in your line of sight.’</p><p>When they reach the lower deck and the main room the third-class passengers use for gatherings, they can hear jaunty music playing. Over that, people are talking in a range of languages. When someone notices that three first-class passengers walk among them, everyone starts falling silent, watching them. They can see Ruby sitting with some of her friends, but she does not notice the trio walking towards her. One of her friends has to tap Ruby on the shoulder to get her to see them. Ruby looks up. She stands when Sarah Jane approaches her.<br/>‘Hello, Miss White.’<br/>‘Hello again.’<br/>‘May I speak with you?’ Ruby turns to her friends.<br/>‘Sure.’<br/>‘In private?’ Ruby nods before gathering up her belongings and following Sarah Jane up to the deck.</p><p>When they get up on deck, the sun is shining, and the sky is a beautiful blue. Sarah Jane and Ruby start walking around the ship, while Eddie and Barbara hang back a little to give the two women some privacy. ‘I was never close to my family,’ Ruby explains as they walk. ‘They all had different views on religion and how we should treat humans, so I defied them by leaving and never returned to my homeworld.’<br/>‘Why can I not be like you, Ruby? Just head out for the horizon whenever I feel like it?’<br/>‘I’m pretty sure that’s not why you came to talk to me, is it?’<br/>‘Ruby, I want to thank you for what you did yesterday. Not only for pulling me back but for your discretion.’<br/>‘No problem. It was not my place to say.’<br/>‘Thank you.’ Sarah Jane notices that Ruby is carrying a portfolio. Her curiosity peaks a little; she never met anyone like Ruby before. Almost everyone in her class stares down at women who make their fortune, but Ruby defies all expectations.</p><p>Ruby shows Sarah Jane her drawings; some of the passengers on the Titanic, others of rich women dressed in finery, and a couple- to Sarah Jane’s surprise- were nude women. ‘Were these drawn from life?’ Sarah Jane asks Ruby.<br/>‘All of them,’ Ruby nods. After a few minutes, Sarah Jane hands the portfolio back, and they continue walking around the ship.</p><p>‘If you were not part of first-class, what would you do?’<br/>‘I don't know,’ Sarah Jane admits. ‘All I would want is to be free!’ A trumpet starts playing, signalling the start of dinner, and Eddie and Barbara catch up with Sarah Jane and Ruby.<br/>‘We need to prepare for dinner, Sarah,’ Barbara says. Sarah Jane nods and promises to see Ruby at dinner.</p><p>When Ruby turns up in a smart suit, complimentary to Margaret Brown, Sarah Jane cannot help but stare in wonder. The transformation is impressive. If it were not because Ruby was a woman instead of a man, she would have fit in with the first-class passengers. Ruby offers her arm to Sarah Jane and escorts her down the stairs. Soon, Margaret Brown appears, and Sarah Jane cannot help but smile. ‘Care to escort a lady to dinner?’ Margaret asks Ruby.<br/>‘Certainly,’ Ruby gives Margaret her arm and escorts both women into the dining saloon.</p><p>Ruby must be nervous, but she did not falter throughout dinner. She answers all the questions put to her, and when it was time for her to go when the other gentlemen retired to the smoking-room, she secretly passes a message to Sarah Jane. When Ruby leaves, Sarah Jane opens the tightly folded piece of paper and smiles.</p><p>When dinner ends, Sarah Jane retreats to the grand staircase clock, and relief floods through her when she sees Ruby waiting. ‘So, you want to go to a real party?’</p><p>What Ruby defined as a ‘real party’ is the third-class having the time of their lives, dancing, drinking, and doing so many beautiful things that Sarah Jane had only heard about. Jaunty music is playing, and Sarah Jane cannot help but clap along, delighted with everything she sees. Ruby dances with her for one song, but they do not want to draw attention to themselves- not that Sarah Jane can avoid that.</p><p>They keep laughing throughout the evening, and Sarah Jane realizes that there is more to life than what the first-class offer.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This is going to be the last chapter. I enjoyed writing it to begin with, but it is getting harder. As such, I will end the story here until I start enjoying it again.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>